The Truth Behind the Disguise in Far from Heaven

The truth behind the disguise in Far from Heaven Have you ever found yourself in a moment, where you lied about your true feelings or kept it to yourself? Or, have you ever been attracted to someone, and you do not speak to that person but your friends know you are attracted to them? Even more so, have you ever gotten into a conversation, already knowing what you are going to say? Because of questions like these, sociologists study the social and psychological actions people undertake in our society today. Researchers have investigated a broad amount of interesting findings and developed social psychological theories, including those that concern social influence and group processes. By using the book, Social Psychology written by Robert A. Baron, Donn Byrne and Nyla R. Bransombe, and notes from Dr. Albright's lectures, I will be discussing the relevance and important theories that the movie, Far From Heaven, illustrates by closely examining examples that are represented in the sequences. These examples bring life to the social theories, selective forms of self-presentation, the importance of non-verbal communication, and different social schemas, concerning economical and racial differences by using the characters and their actions/ reactions to the social scenes in which they take place. Based upon social theory of the book, Social Psychology, authentic self-presentation is a selective form of self-presentation that expresses an image according to how you see yourself towards others. When a self-image is authentic, you can say the person is "being true about himself/ herself." For this reason, Mrs. Whitaker is an excellent example of this social theory. She represents an authentic self-presentation because of her genuine way to approach others. She always stays unadulterated; remains the same towards all people, without changing towards people of different class status or color. The major example to how Mrs. Whitaker proves herself to be an authentic self-presenter is by her relationship with her black gardener, Raymond Deagan. They form a bond, one that is real and honest. I quote her when she says, "Raymond was the only person I felt honest with." She expressed her true feelings and emotions very honestly to other people, in this case to her best friend, without any false intentions. More noticeably, Mrs. Whitaker's gardener, Raymond, is a valid character in the movie. When approached, he always speaks with sincerity and expresses his inner beliefs and shares his own life stories without hesitation. For instance, the scene were he finds Mrs. Whitaker crying, he tells her that he would never hurt her and if she needed anyone to talk to, he would be there to listen. Without taking into account that she is a person with a different class status, his rationale to helping Mrs. Whitaker is genuine because of this reason, he treats her equally. Both these characters are perfect examples of authentic self-presentation, because they are both honest and take no precaution of speaking to one another due to their economic or ethnic differences. Another form of self-presentation is ideal. Mr. Whitaker is an individual who embodies the characteristics of an ideal self-presentation, which is an image of how you wish to be seen by others (Albright 01/29/07). Therefore, the character is hardly honest and holds an interior mystery. In the case of Mr. Whitaker, he is a married man with two children and a successful career who finally reveals his secret that he is a homosexual. This long-kept secret reveals the reason as to why Mr. Whitaker is an example to the social theory of ideal self-presentation. I quote him when he said, "I did not want to hurt you or the kids, honey." Mr. Whitaker reveals that his posterior is a complete fraud, he did so because he did not want to hurt his family but much more hurt himself. He wished to hide his true identity as a gay man because he wished to be seen as the handsome husband with the perfect...

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

...FarFromHeavenFarfromHeaven is a film about a 1950s period. It deals with some issues such as race, sexuality and class. There is Cathy, the perfect mother and wife married to Frank, the successful and charming man, who works as seals manager in a big company, having the perfect life. Until Cathy, finds that her husband; Frank is a homosexual. She cannot divorce from her husband because she does not want to destruct her marriage. At the same time, she meets with Raymond, and she goes to him for comfort. They spend good time together, but their relationship causes some bad consequences for him and his daughter. On the other side, Frank cannot suppress his desires of homosexuality. When he and his wife went to a holiday, he falls in love with another man. Their life becomes depressing, and at the end, they divorce and the film ends with sadness. FarFromHeaven shows that racism and homosexuality were serious problems the society faced back in the 1950s; however, nowadays the problem is not as serious and intense but it is still prevalent in some societies.
First, According to Britannica online, racism “is the belief in the inherent superiority of one race over others”. Many people believe that it depends on if a person was brought into the world as a racist or not, but that is not the case at all. In fact, an...

...During the 50's director Douglas Sirk made his name as the master of melodrama with such classics as "Written on the Wind" and "Imitation of Life," as he examined romantic relations and intrigues that showcased leading man Rock Hudson. In what can only be called heartfelt homage, writer/director Todd Haynes captures the interpersonal angst of Sirk and updates it to the new millennium in "FarFromHeaven."
Sirk propelled Rock Hudson to movie icon status as a regular player in many of the director's popular flicks using, I think, the actor's secret sexual preference to create characters that had a certain ambiguity about them. With "FarFromHeaven" writer/helmer Todd Haynes seems to be doing the same for Julianne Moore. This is the second film that Haynes and Moore have worked together, the first being "Safe," and in this latest collaboration we see a professional relationship that may not be so farfromheaven.
Moore plays Cathy Whitaker, an upper middle class housewife who tends to her beautiful home in Hartford, Connecticut for her hard-working TV sales exec husband, Frank (Dennis Quaid), and her two young kids. Life is idyllic with Cathy able to demonstrate her liberal attitudes and voice her mind on the time's civil rights issues. She is startled one day, though, when she sees a stranger, a black man, looking around her yard. She soon learns...

...FarFromHeaven
Todd Haynes' "FarfromHeaven" is identified as the best and bravest movie of 1957, which is described as a 50’s picket fence around love. It starts out in autumn of 1957 by the camera drifting through red and orange leaves through the perfect streets of Hartford. Cathy and Frank (Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid), live in a perfect split-level house on a perfect street, however even though they seem to be the perfect couple outside their fancy house, in all reality they are not. This of course explains the tittle of the movie, “FarfromHeaven”.
Cathy and Frank puts on such an act that Cathy is being interviewed by the magazine reporter as the “perfect housewife”, who supports her husband and takes care of the household during the day. That night Frank calls home saying he once again won’t be home for dinner because he has too much work. Frank is not actually at work, but at a gentlemen’s only club. The next scene is the following day where Cathy is busing preparing and planning for their annual neighborhood party. To help, Cathy invited her two best friends who are also part of the Hartford society. Throughout the planning, Frank calls stating he will be late again for dinner.
Instead of waiting up for Frank, Cathy decides to bring Frank his dinner at work. As she enters the office building it is empty and dark. However...

...﻿Scene Analysis of FarFromHeaven.
Todd Haynes renders a delightful yet subtle touch to the theme of racism and heterosexuality in his 2002 award winning movie, FarFromHeaven. The movie is set at the backdrop of 1957, a period when racism and orthodox feelings were at its peek in the society. The plot revolves around Cathy Whitaker who is shown as a good wife, good mother and a perfect homemaker. Her husband Frank is an executive at Magnatech. The film starts with the scene when Cathy gets a call from the local police about her husband who happens to be on the line. He says police mistook him for someone else and they are not leaving him alone. In the sequence of scenes that follows, Frank begins to stay late at office and develops obsession with the other men while Cathy develops love with Raymond Deagan, who is their late gardeners son as well a black man. Meanwhile Franks relationship with Cathy gets strained, and he turns to alcohol. Soon relationship between Cathy and Raymond leads to severe relationship between him and his daughter. Meanwhile Frank is not able to suppress his feelings as homosexual and falls in love with other man seeking divorce from Cathy. In the whole film, we could see double tension perpetuating among the protagonists desires with each scene portraying interracial romances or one or the other issue of the homosexuality. The pool...

...Jonathan smith
Mrs. Cox
English II
11 November 2013
The TruthBehind Zombies
America’s most feared icon of the 21st century is none other than zombies. Most people think of zombies as horror fiction characters that mutilate humans and take over the world but there is more to them than meets the eye. There is even true logical and scientific reasoning behind this possible phenomenon. there are several explanations of how zombies could become a reality like voodoo rituals, mutating diseases, and even ant controlling funguses. We would all love to imagine zombies as a fictional character, but science has shown that every day could be one day closer to a zombie reality.
Before one must speak of a zombie one must understand the meaning of the word zombie and where it came from. The whole idea of zombies can be traced back to a small island near North America named Haiti. In fact, the word zombie comes from the haitian word zonbi meaning a person who is brought back to life without free will or speech. In Haiti the main belief system is voodoo, a religious cult combining elements of Roman Catholic ritual with traditional African magical and religious rites, and characterized by sorcery and spirit possession. The image of the haitian zombie is of an individual who is catatonic because his soul has been stolen. It is said that a bokor, sorcerers that practice both light and dark magic can turn a human...

...a nervous system which allows them to feel pain. How would you think it would feel if someone was dragging you by a hook that has been punctured right through your cheek or some other part of your body? Would you want to be shot? I DIDNT THINK SO
Posted by: ammanuel.mesfin
Report Post
LikeReplyChallenge
16
28
Yes All Hunting should be Banned.
Hunters love to use the following argument
>>>"Resources for all creatures is finite. Humans and deer (and other game animals) need room to live, but the room to roam and populate has it's limits. For example, deer populations need to be restricted by the available food limits of their respective habitats. Without hunting, the deer population would grow to the point of encroaching into human areas far worse than now, causing safety issues for humans and animals (many more vehicle/deer collision), and human crops being overrun by a deer population explosion; more deer require more food.<<<
The true facts are... what you will find for all those who say NO to this question, are a special interest group of Hunters, who like to call themselves "sportsmen" What is wrong with the lame argument above about needing to control population. 1) it is known, that these hunters actually "raise" deer to keep their hunting population going.. 2) if hunters completely left wildlife alone to their natural course. Nature would take care of itself. The environment would thrive, and animals would be balanced out based on each's predatory...

...these situations? Jesses’ father set him over the edge, and Victor ignored the monster, giving him no love or attention whatsoever. Therefore, the monster went to drastic measures. Because their basic psychological needs were not met, both Jesse and Frankenstein's creature acted rashly and without reason.
Despite his unnatural birth, Frankenstein’s creation exhibits the same attitude of a young child discovering the ups and downs of life. An example of this can be seen when the monster discovers fire, “ I found a fire which had been left by some wandering beggars.. in my joy I thrust my hand into the live embars but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain” (Shelley 89). The monster has no life experiences and no one to show him right from wrong. The Delacy’s can be named the monsters first nurturers. Although they may not have known it, they made him aware of human relationships and emotions. He eventually feels the need of physical pain and hunger and starts to steal the Delacy’s food. The monster says he stops stealing the food because he “found out that in doing this he inflicted pain on the cottagers” (Shelley 96). The Delacy’s first teach him kindness, love, and the bonds of family and friends. If he truly was a monster, he would have no capacity for love and companionship.
Both the monster and Jesse Timmendequas never knew what it was like to love and be loved. Although they may have witnessed different forms of the thought of love, they...

...English 4A
16 October, 2011
The Truthbehind Lady Macbeth
In the play, “Macbeth”, the character that stands out the most is Lady Macbeth. Her role in this story is significant, she is an evil, ruthless, and ambitious person. She is responsible for the murders that her husband commits because she was bloodthirsty for the crown. In fact, she then becomes more eager to get the crown than Macbeth himself and soon realizes that once you commit one violent act, there is almost no way of ever turning back. An analysis of Lady Macbeth reveals that she is a powerful character who adds complexity and depth to a play about murder, madness, and revenge.
Due to her ambition to become queen, Lady Macbeth persuades her husband to murder king Duncan. She accuses Macbeth of being a coward believing that he is not worthy enough to match his acts with hi desires telling him “Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valour as thou art in desire?”(1.7.39-40). Lady Macbeth is trying to bring out the evil within her husband, she wants to provoke him into doing this terrible deed so that Macbeth will no longer be afraid and shall be devoted to murdering Duncan. She is aware that she has control over her husband which she is using against him. Macbeth does not tolerate being called names by his own wife or by anyone else, he states “I dare do all that may become a man; who dares do more is none”. To him his wife’s opinion is very important and he is...